1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to programming of semiconductor devices, and in particular to the reduction of the time to program these semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The programming of semiconductor devices is well known in the art. Typically, this programming includes a verification step that ensures the semiconductor devices are properly programmed and meet customer programming specifications. To perform the programming, the semiconductor devices are coupled to the programming electronics through sockets. In high volume manufacturing applications, the semiconductor devices are inserted into these sockets with a piece of equipment, typically referred to as an autohandler or a pick and place machine, having an automatic arm.
In a typical program cycle, the automatic arm loads an individual semiconductor device from an input tray into a socket to be programmed. After programming, the automatic arm unloads that device to an output tray, Then, the next semiconductor device is loaded, programmed, and unloaded. Thus, particularly if the semiconductor device programming time is long, this method is extremely time consuming and results in significant periods of time in which the automatic arm remains inactive, thereby resulting in production inefficiencies.
Therefore, a need arises for a device and method which maximize the efficiency of programming a plurality of semiconductor devices.